A person is not a citizen of Canada merely because they have lived in Canada for an extended period. Canadian citizenship may be obtained because of being born in Canada, being born or adopted by a Canadian citizen outside of Canada, or being granted citizenship through naturalization.

Since the first Canadian Citizenship Act became law on January 1, 1947, marking the beginning of Canadian citizenship as a legal status. Canada was the first Commonwealth country to create its own citizenship class separate from Great Britain. Since the 1980s, there has been debate about citizenship, including whether Canada is too generous or too strict when granting citizenship to newcomers, the loss of citizenship, and birth on Canadian soil to foreign nationals, which has resulted in several amendments to the Citizenship Act. In Canada, permanent residents have a right to enter and remain in Canada as long as they fulfill their obligations and maintain their status. However, unlike Canadian citizens, they are not permitted to vote or hold political office and do not have the civic duty of serving on jury duty.